France blames Iran for last month's cyberattack on supermarket fridges

France accused Iran of orchestrating a massive cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems last month, summoning the Iranian ambassador and threatening sanctions. The October 12th assault caused refrigerator temperatures to spike, impacting around 700 of the nation's 10,000 supermarkets. French prosecutors linked Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to the large-scale intrusion.

The Foreign Ministry described the attack as "unprecedented scale and aggressiveness," while Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest the "extremely serious act." Barrot emphasized it was the first large-scale cyber-sabotage attack on French soil, posing a major threat to national security. Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced a formal investigation into organized cybercrime committed to serve Iran's interests, targeting Shahid Kaveh, the leader of a cyber unit affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his deputies.

The attackers used Farsi language and Iranian IP addresses to remotely control refrigeration systems, causing temperatures to soar to 122 degrees Fahrenheit for six hours. Intermarché supermarkets alone reported "tens of millions of euros" in losses.